Raquel Conceição
Room in IBEB
1.03
Contacts
E-mail: rcconceicao[at]fc.ul.pt
Professional networks
Curriculum
Tópicos de investigação
- Axillary lymph nodes
- Body phantom development
- Breast cancer
- Medical signal and imaging processing
- Machine learning for medical applications
- Medical microwave imaging
- Tumour classification
Biography
I am an award-winning assistant professor with habilitation (“agregação”) and researcher with a significant record of peer-reviewed publications and funded European grants. I am the first doctorate researcher in Portugal with a PhD in the area of microwave medical imaging, who initiated the first research efforts in this area at a national level. I was also the youngest COST Action chair, with the COST Action TD1301 (Development of a European-based Collaborative Network to Accelerate Technological, Clinical and Commercialisation Progress in the Area of Medical Microwave Imaging). I have just been selected for funding for a 1.5M€ Twinning Project (3BAtwin), due to start in September 2024. Other past and current European funding which I have secured include an internationally-competitive Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (FP7), as the main researcher, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Innovative Training Networks (H2020), as a beneficiary.
I am the vice-president of the URSI Portuguese Committee for Commission K “Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine” and a Member of the MTTs TC-28 Biological Effects and Medical Applications Committee. I currently am the scientific coordinator and a researcher in the Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica – IBEB (Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering), developing microwave imaging techniques to detect and classify breast cancer as well as metastasised axillary lymph nodes, playing an important role in one of the institute’s priority research areas “Medical Imaging and Diagnosis”. I have other research interests which include machine learning modelling techniques, biomedical engineering, signal and image processing, and applied electronic engineering topics. I am the author of 34 journal papers, 56 conference proceedings and editor/author of 4 books, and have also successfully organised a special issue in a Q1 journal, Sensors. I have collaborated and co-authored with over 100 international researchers.
Since becoming an Assistant Professor at the Departamento da Física, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon), Portugal, I have taught 11 different courses. I have taken the role of leading lecturer (“regente”) multiple times, and primarily have taught courses to Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students enrolled in Engenharia Biomédica e Biofísica (Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), in addition to other students of the Department of Physics. I have supervised 7 PhD students and 28 Masters students, among another 28 undergraduate scientific projects.
I served as vice-president of the Department of Physics at the same institution, making a particularly significant contribution to internal and external outreach activities, between 2018 and 2021. Between 2019 and 2022 I was the vice-coordinator of the Integrated Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics degree, and in 2021-2022 I was the a coordinator of the Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics degree. I hold a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (2011), and an Integrated Master’s in Biomedical Engineering (2007), from the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa – FCTUNL (School of Science & Technology, NOVA University Lisbon), respectively.
3D ANTHROPOMORPHIC PHANTOM GENERATOR OF THE HEAD AND NECK REGION, DOI:10.3390/s20072029
PhD students
2022 – ongoing, Teresa Pereira (PhD in Computer Science), Universidade de Aveiro, “Electrocardiogram for Biometric Recognition: Collectability, Stability and Application Challenges”.
2021 – ongoing, Ana Sofia Verde (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Validating biologically meaningful radiomics signatures for prostate cancer”.
2021 – ongoing, Maria Gonçalves (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Multi-Scale Modelling of Breast Preservation following Cancer Treatment”.
2020 – ongoing, Ana Catarina Pelicano (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Bringing Medical Microwave Imaging of the Breast Closer to Clinical Realism”.
2018 – 2023, Matteo Savazzi (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Electromagnetic device for axillary lymph node diagnosis”.
2018 – 2022, Daniela Godinho (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Microwave Imaging to Improve Breast Cancer Diagnosis”.
2012 – 2019, Filipa Borlinhas (PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics), Universidade de Lisboa, “Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) in Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging”
Master’s Students
2023 – ongoing, Cláudio Jorge, “UterineExplorer Plus – Toolbox for uterine eletromyography processing and visualisation”.
2023 – ongoing, Raquel Rebordão, “The role of mechanical forces in inhibiting cell proliferation in the heart”.
2023 – ongoing, Tiago Silva, “Image Reconstruction aided by Machine Learning for Breast Microwave Imaging”.
2022 – ongoing, Inês André, “Improvement of Machine Learning-based Image Reconstruction Algorithms for Breast Microwave Imaging”.
2021 – ongoing, Maria Bernardo, “Neuroimaging of Addictive Behaviour”.
2021 – ongoing, José António da Silva Raimundo, “Design of a hybrid lipid nanosystem combining cytotoxic and magnetic properties”
2021 – 2024, Miguel Fidalgo, “Convolutional Neural Networks in Prostate Cancer Detection, Segmentation and Classification using mpMRI images and feature-selected Radiomic Features”.
2021 – 2023, Pedro Lemos Cidadão, “Medical Microwave Imaging of MRI-based Axillary region models via 3D Finite Difference Time Domain”.
2021 – 2023, Maria Lopes, “Comparing single-shell and multi-shell free-water fraction estimation algorithms”.
2021 – 2023, Catarina Moura, “Reconstruction of Microwave Imaging using Machine Learning”.
2021 – 2023, Luísa Freitas, “PID control of depth of hypnosis in anesthesia for propofol and remifentanil coadministration”
2020 – 2022, Mariana Piedade, “Robustness of photon dose distributions against intra and inter-fraction anatomical changes for whole lung irradiation”.
2021 – 2022, Mariya Berezhanska, “Estudo exploratório do uso de Imagem por Micro-ondas para deteção de cáries dentárias”.
2020 – 2022, Helena Sousa, “A Patch-Wise Generative Adversarial Network for PET-MR Image Generation with Feature Attribution for Detection of Focal Cortical Dysplasias”.
2020 – 2022, Ângelo Nunes, “Optimizing T2 quantitative estimation of knee cartilage with Magnetic Resonance Imaging applying dictionary-based methods”.
2020 – 2022, Cláudia Baleia, “Comparison of T1-maps and Late Gadolinium Enhancement in the detection of myocardial fibrosis”.
2020 – 2021, Teresa Pereira, “Biometric Authentication and Identification through Electrocardiogram Signals”.
2020 – 2021, Carolina Piçarra, “Automatic Reporting of TBI Lesion Location in CT based on Deep Learning and Atlas Mapping”.
2019 – 2021, Madalena Valente, “Deep Learning for Multi-animal Tracking”.
2019 – 2021, Miguel Rodrigues, “Classifying Breast Tumors using Medical Microwave Radar Imaging”.
2019 – 2020, Márcia Abreu, “Computational modeling of TGF-? signaling”.
2019 – 2020, Luís Venâncio, “Prostate Lesion Segmentation with Convolutional Neural Networks”.
2018 – 2020, Ana Catarina Pelicano, “Modelling the head and neck region for microwave imaging of cervical lymph nodes”.
2018 – 2019, Carolina Seabra, “Prostate cancer biochemical recurrence prediction after radical prostatectomy using machine learning analysis of histopathology”.
2018 – 2019, Nuno Silva, “Translation of medical devices: thermal properties of biological tissues and a nasogastric tube detector device”.
2014 – 2016 (unfinished), Rui Santos, “Detection of Axilla Lymph Nodes with Microwave Imaging to Improve Breast Cancer Diagnosis”.
2014 – 2015, Nádia Vilhena, “Ultrasound assisted oncolytic virotherapy: in vitro and in vivo studies”.
2013 – 2014, Ricardo Eleutério, “Microwave Imaging of the Axilla to Aid Breast Cancer Diagnosis”.
2013 – 2014, Alexandre Medina, “Development of Phantoms for the Axilla and Breast Tumours to Simulate Microwave Imaging”.
2012 – 2013, Luís Oliveira, “Desenvolvimento de modelos numéricos da zona axilar a utilizar em imagem por micro-ondas como complemento ao diagnóstico do cancro da mama” (Development of numerical models of the axillary region for microwave imaging as a diagnostic aid for breast cancer).
2012 – 2013, Hugo Medeiros, “Classificação de Tumores de Cancro na Mama através de Radar de Banda Ultra-Larga de Microondas” (Classification of Breast Cancer Tumours through Microwave Ultra Wideband Radar Imaging).
Projects (selection)
2024-2027 (sellected for funding 1/2/2024) Project Coordinator of Horizon Europe HORIZON-WIDERA 2023-ACCESS 02-01 Twinning “Bone, Brain, Breast and Axillary Medical Microwave Imaging Twinning (3BAtwin)”, 1.5M€
2023-2024 (ongoing) Principal Investigator of Exploratory Project by FCT, “First Patient Study for Axillary and Breast Medical Microwave Imaging”, https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.08973.PTDC, 50k€
2019-2024 (ongoing) Research Unit Coordinator (since July/2022) of FCT Strategic Programme for Portuguese Research Units 2018, https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00645/2020 & https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/00645/2020, >500k€
2018-2023 Working Group Leader of COST Action CA17115 MyWAVE, www.cost.eu/actions/CA17115, 523k€
2018-2022 Beneficiary of H2020 MSCA-ITN EMERALD, www.msca-emerald.eu/, 3.3M€
2014-2018 Member of COST Action BM1309, www.cost.eu/actions/bm1309, 654k€
2014-2016 Post-doctoral researcher of EPSRC, “Hybrid UWB Radar/Inverse Scattering Approaches for Breast Cancer Imaging”, http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/J007293/1, 272k£
2013-2017 Chair of COST Action TD1301, www.cost.eu/actions/td1301, 520k€
2013-2015 Fellow of FP7 Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship, BREASTCANCERDETECT, https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/103278_en.html, 151k€
2012 Post-doctoral fellow of FCT “Uma nova metodologia multimodal de imagem para o cancro da mama: PEM-UWB”, 55k€
